When I first saw the posters of Anjaneyulu, I was excited to see that Crazy Mass Hero Ravi Teja actually implement the trick of the trade: release films at least with a gap of 100 days. Even as Kick is a couple of days shy of it’s 100th day at Odeon, Ravi Teja headlines Anjaneyulu, which releases in the same theater complex today! Kudos to you Ravi Teja for pumping in energy in to this sagging industry (no, just one Magadheera is not enough). Secondly, I was excited to see the somewhat zanny wallpapers/posters and of course the beauty called Nayantara. Enough…these reasons are enough to wanna make you watch this film on the first day. What you expect from Ravi Teja’s film is not an innovative story, but just the common minimum elements, yet Anjaneulu is a let down as the the story and it’s components and too common and too minimum.

Anjaneyulu (Ravi Teja, Anji from hereon) works for a TV channel (hmtv, to be specific) and comes with his usual package of over the top confidence and whackiness. The same deal—should you raise your hand against him, Anji’s hand will not even listen to him or it is as good as being dead. The first half moves on with comedy between Ravi Teja-Brahmanandam, love story/songs with Nayan, and an idiotic villan track involving the usual really ugly looking MLA, goons, etc. One dude has prepared a file to be submitted to the CM, but the Home Minister has hired Baada (our Mr. Bommali Sonu Sood) to get him killed. Baada plants a bomb in the bus this dude is travelling in and in that bus are also travelling Anji’s parents. Thus, Anji decides to join Baada’s gang and submits investigative reports to hmtv-live. Of course, at the end he ends up kill all and the police even shake their hands with him for doing their work. The film is totally mundane, routine, and offers no freshness at all. The songs dissapoint—there is not even a single song you can hum at the end of the show. Nayantara looks jaded at places, but overall I just can’t understand why she would sign up for this film?—is she that out of work in Tamil and I even hear that she missed out on a Mani Ratnam film! Oh boy, can’t imagine her missing Mr. Ratnam’s film for this film! Ravi Teja is his usual self—Full of energy and in this film he also looks a shade trimmer compared to his previous flick Kick. As such there is no characterization for him in this film and there is not much comedy either. Again, if not for Brahmanandam this film is a total wash out. Brahmanandam is the creative genious Prabhakar who is brought in to pump up the TRP of the channel. The sequences between Ravi Teja, Brahmanandam, and Ravi Teja’s side kick are quite funny. Although, most of the humor generated is through second-setup and prostitute-type jokes. The film focusses too much on the villiany and the treatment is routine. Even the story is routine. Nayantara is reduced only to songs and no role. At times I even wondered if this film is totally financed by hmtv in order to potray themselves as a channel committed to investigative journalism as opposed to other gossip hungry channels.

I thought Kick just about managed to entertain and has nothing different, but Anjaneyulu is a let down in all respects, even for a Ravi Teja film—it doesn’t entertain. There is nothing wrong in doing a formuliac film, but it has got to at least entertain with a decent story. Although Ravi Teja is churning out movies, all his movies seem to be part of a Common Minimum type of production and they are so predictable: songs, brahmi-comedy, slaps, some physical humor, villians, and fights like that of a super hero. This will not take him long any further unless he selects stories that are different, entertaining while at the same time having the Common Minimum. However, the film might just end up doing well in B and C centers anyway, but even there it is but a less then or equal to 50 days sort of film. Ravi Teja has all it takes to be the super hero of the industry–he is self made and everybody wants to watch his movies at least once. I sincerely wish he stops selecting such routine movies and makes films that offer a little more in the form of an interesting plot in addition all that one must get in a Ravi Teja film. Bottom line: Anjaneyulu does not entertain although you can see Ravi Teja puts in his best effort.

Mr. Inkenti’s Movienomics Verdict: Thumbs Down. However, if you are the compulsive Ravi Teja movie watcher then you can go for it, else relax.

Mr.Inkenti Intro

Mr.Inkenti is an academician, social researcher, observer, blogger, and a fan, who studies entertainment media and related affects off/on human behavior and society. The views expressed on this blog are entirely Mr.Inkenti's and do not in any way possible represent anybody or anything. Mr.Inkenti blogs about the public affairs from RTC X Roads, Hyderabad to Oslo, Norway. Welcome, aboard.